


Au Lait

by magumarashi



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, thinly veiled coffee metaphors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 07:58:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14911451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magumarashi/pseuds/magumarashi
Summary: Enticed by the scent of freshly-brewing coffee, Djeeta heads down to the ship's galley--hoping to catch their newest crewmember in the act.





	Au Lait

**Author's Note:**

> I actually wrote this before my [last granblue fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14135001/chapters/32573121) but never got around to finishing it, for some reason? anyway i wanted to put out more sandjeeta content so i brushed this off and got it out the door. you can read it as contiguous with _wishes for a fallen star_ if you'd like (a prequel?).
> 
> i may add more to it if i get more sandjeeta ideas lmao

**** On a morning like any other, the scent of brewing coffee wafted upwards from the galley. Enticed, the captain of the Grandcypher made her way belowdecks. The ship’s coffee pot had seen more regular use in the weeks since a certain primarch had joined the crew, but the brewer always seemed to slink off before anyone could join him. This time, the captain hoped to catch him in the act. She pulled the galley door open, already knowing who to expect behind it.

“Ah. Singularity.”

The archangel set down his coffee drip and turned to face her.

“Djeeta,” the captain reminded him.

“Djeeta,” he echoed, to give the illusion of committing her name to memory. “I was just finishing up.”

“Can I have some?” Djeeta asked, without missing a beat.

“I only made enough for one,” the archangel replied curtly. “There are some leftover grounds and hot water if you’d like to make your own.”

“Don’t mind if I do!”

Djeeta whisked up the drip and set about finding a new filter and a mug. As she busied herself with the setup, out of the corner of her eye she spotted the archangel starting to inch toward the door.

“Oh—Sandalphon, what was the ratio again?”

“Huh?” Sandalphon froze.

“Grounds to water.”

“Two cups of water per tablespoon of grounds.”

Djeeta looked over the various measuring spoons, frowning to herself.

“If I just wanna make one cup, that’s…?”

Sandalphon sighed and moved to take the drip back.

“Here. I’ll do it.”

As the archangel got to work measuring out the grounds, Djeeta couldn’t help smiling to herself. Of course, she’d known the right measuring spoon to use all along—getting Sandalphon to spend just a few more minutes with her was worth a little playing dumb.

Sandalphon took notice of her cheeky grin.

“What are you smiling about?”

“Oh, nothing~!” Djeeta.

Sandalphon snorted.

“You’re a terrible liar.”

“So are you,” Djeeta shot back playfully. “If you wanted to make coffee for me, you should have just said something!”

“I-I’m not doing this because I want to,” Sandalphon answered. “I just… hate seeing things go to waste.”

“Uh-huh.” Djeeta smirked. “Guess we could both stand to be more honest.”

“Hmph.”

Sandalphon took the boiling water off the burner and gently poured it over the drip. His years of practice were evident even in something as simple as pouring water; he spread the water evenly over the grounds and gave it time to percolate into the cup. Once the water had drained, he removed the drip and slid the mug toward Djeeta.

“Don’t let it get cold.”

Djeeta took a small jar of cream out of the icebox, then went to grab a spoon and some sugar. Sandalphon watched her, eyebrow raised.

“What are you doing?”

Djeeta added cream and sugar to her mug and stirred until the coffee turned a light, smooth brown—to the archangel’s abject horror.

“I can’t handle black coffee,” Djeeta answered. “It’s too bitter.”

“Coffee is supposed to be bitter,” said Sandalphon tersely. “If you change the flavor, it’s not coffee anymore.”

“Respectfully disagree,” said Djeeta, taking a sip. This wasn’t the first time she’d tasted his handmade coffee, but this was the first time she’d had a chance to add lighteners to it—to enjoy it on her own terms. Even with cream and sugar, she could still tell he was the one who made it. There was a sort of distinctness to his coffee that she couldn’t quite find anywhere else.

Sandalphon took a sip from his own mug, taking a moment to savor the taste. There was a tense silence as the two drank their coffee together. Djeeta was impressed with each passing second that her companion remained in the galley; she’d half-expected him to bolt the moment he was done brewing her coffee. Standing there with him, she got the sense that, deep down, Sandalphon yearned for the company of others. He was just too proud to admit it.

Djeeta glanced to the side, just in time to catch his gaze on her. Or—was he looking at the coffee in her mug? He looked away before she could figure out which it was.

“Do you wanna try it?” she asked.

“Try what—your ruined coffee?” Sandalphon made a face. “No, thank you.”

“You sure?”

“Quite certain,” said Sandalphon. “If it’s not black, I don’t want it.”

“Why? You’ve never even tried it!” 

“Because,” Sandalphon looked away. “Black coffee is… the kind Lucifer taught me to make. I don’t want to forget how it tastes…”

There was an uneasy pause. The late supreme primarch didn’t often come up in conversation—but even a few months after what happened, his name left a palpable emptiness in the room whenever it was mentioned.

Finally Djeeta frowned, hands on her hips.

“You’re being ridiculous, you know.”

“Am I?”

“Wasn’t it you who told me the taste of coffee depends on the roast, and the beans, and even the brewing method?” Djeeta went on. “You’ve probably had millions of different cups of coffee—but you still remember the way Lucifer used to make it. Don’t you?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Why should adding another new flavor be any different?” said Djeeta. “You can like black coffee and still try new things.” 

Sandalphon stared at her, quietly, and Djeeta wondered if she’d stepped out of line. She took another sip of her coffee, looking away—but Sandalphon only breathed a sigh of resignation in response.

“Leave some for me, then.”

Djeeta practically beamed, holding her cup out to him.

“Bottoms up!”

“Please don’t make this weird,” Sandalphon groaned. He took the mug from her and considered it carefully before taking a tentative sip. His eyes lit up a little.

“Well?”

“It’s… good,” he said. Djeeta could tell he was downplaying how he really felt, as usual—it would be a cold day in hell before that boy was honest with her—but the look on his face said it all. He took another sip. “I didn’t know coffee could taste like this.”

“So you  _ do _ admit it’s still coffee,” said Djeeta, cheekily.

“Nonsense.” Sandalphon handed the mug back. “It’s a coffee-flavored drink, that’s all. No resemblance to real coffee.”

“Uh-huh. Just keep telling yourself that, pal.” Djeeta took the mug back and went to take another sip, pausing—did Sandalphon know the implications of sharing cups with someone else? Considering where he’d been the last two millennia, probably not. Maybe it didn’t matter. If he’d had objections, he would have voiced them. She lifted the mug to her own lips.

“I’ll be taking my leave,” said Sandalphon curtly. After a brief pause, he added, “... enjoy the coffee.”

“I will,” said Djeeta, smiling. “You know, we should do this again sometime. Have coffee together.”

Sandalphon gazed at her, quietly considering his answer. Djeeta braced herself for his usual prickliness. How many refusals, rude or polite, was he mulling over in his mind? 

Finally, the primarch’s lips parted to answer:

“Yes… I think I would like that.”

Djeeta tried to contain a grin. Could it be that she was finally getting through to him…?

“So long as  _ I _ get to make the coffee,” Sandalphon added. “I hate seeing people do it poorly. It’s an insult to the beans.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Djeeta. “You can make it. Deal. I’ll bring the cream and sugar—there’s a whole world of lattes out there just waiting for you to discover.”

“Hmph,” Sandalphon scoffed to himself, somewhat proudly. “I’ll be taking my leave, now. Really this time.”

“See you, Sandalphon.”

After depositing the coffee drip in the sink, Sandalphon took his own mug and left the room, heels clacking slightly on the wooden floorboards. Djeeta watched him until he disappeared around the corner, out of sight. The look on his face when she’d asked him to share coffee with her again… she couldn’t help but think he’d looked somewhat sad. As though longing for another time and place, a memory beyond reach. Maybe she was imagining it.

“Captain! Are you in there?”

“We’ve almost made land!”

Her crewmates’ voices sounded from the hall, jerking her from her thoughts.

“Coming!”

Djeeta drained the rest of her mug in a hurry; leaving it in the sink next to the drip, she rushed out to meet her crewmates in the hall. 

* * *

_ “You know, we should do this again sometime. Have coffee together.” _

Sandalphon sat on the bed in his cabin, gaze turned to the clouds floating by the window. The captain’s words repeated themselves in his mind, weighing on him. She couldn’t have known what that simple request meant to him… could she?

_ “Sandalphon… When the time comes, will you drink coffee with me again?” _

He shook his head, as if to dispel the memory from his thoughts.

Of course she couldn’t have known. But the look in her eyes when she’d made such an innocent request—the little pinch in his heart at that moment—made him wonder if the powers that be were deliberately playing with him.


End file.
